St Augustine's teachings of predestination - doctrine of original sin

Why is the religious concept of predestination complicated? 

• The religious concept of predestination is complicated because it is dependent on a number of theological claims.

• Christian scriptures teach humans have free will and are accountable for their actions.

• However this belief must be balanced with beliefs about God’s omniscience, omnipotence.

• God must know what we will do before we do it and must decide what happens to us when we die and suggesting otherwise limits God by suggesting we have power that God does not

What is at the heart of Augustine’s teaching of predestination?

• At the heart of Augustine’s teaching is his belief in original sin (doctrine of original sin) arguing that the outcome of ‘original sin’ is that sin became a major defect of the human character.

Why can’t Adam and Eve pass the blame on to the devil?

• Adam and Eve already decided to turn away from God before they were tempted

• Hence they cannot pass the blame on to the devil

• The fall was the result of their own choices

What did the actions of Adam and Eve lead to? 

What did Augustine call this defect, and what does it mean? 

• This tainted Adam and Eve’s original perfect nature

• Augustine called this defect ‘concupiscence’ meaning ‘longing’

• We all have ‘longings' for earthly things e.g. materialism, food, sex rather than Godly things

• Concupiscence is therefore opposition to having the desire to know and love God

• Concupiscence in itself is not a sin - but it prevents a person’s ability to choose goodness and resit the temptation of earthly pleasures. 

What happened with the defect of concupiscence and why?

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This defect of concupiscence, according to Augustine is passed on from Adam and Eve to every person born into this world for 2 reasons:

1. All of humanity is related to Adam and Eve, therefore Augustine argued that all of humanity inherited Adam’s sin, thus Adam’s guilt is humanities

As Augustine stated - ‘All humans were present in the loin/semen of Adam’

2. All humanity is born from sexual intercourse, which itself is a result of concupiscence and thus humanity inherits concupiscence.

The exception to this was Jesus, who was not conceived by sexual intercourse

What is the result of the above, and what does the term mean?

• The result of the above is that all of humanity is born ‘Massa Peccati’ - meaning we are a lump of mass/sin

What does Augustine mean by humanity being born ‘Massa Pecatti’?

• What Augustine means is that humanity is born ‘Massa Pecatti’ because concupiscence (longings) will result in humanity being tempted by earthly materialism, at the expense of of living according to God’s will.

What is a key quote that Augustine illustrates Massa Pecatti by?

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Augustine illustrated Massa Pecatti by stating:

• humanity is ‘so hopelessly corrupted that we are absolutely incapable of doing anything good by our own forces’

• Therefore, for Augustine, humanities ability to freely choose is lost to sin, moral agents are predestined to sin

Despite, the above what does Augustine argue about free will?

• Despite the above, Augustine still argues humanity is still born with free will (liberum arbitrium)

• Without free will God would be the author of sin and could not be considered omnibenevolent and not justified in punishing those who do evil.

• Therefore, a human must be morally responsible for sin by acting freely according to their own desires

But what does inheriting the original sin mean for making free choices?

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• Having inherited Adam’s original sin humanity is now prone to commit individual sin.

• Human liberty (libertas) has been lost to our sinful nature and while they still have free will to make choices, their free will has been distorted by sin - so they only desire evil.

• As Augustine argues humanities free will ‘has been utterly wasted by sin’

• Therefore, according to him, humanity technically still had liberty/libertas but cannot resist choosing earthly pleasure over Godly pursuits

• i.e. the dominant concupiscence/longing pre-determines all human choices

But according to Augustine, will everyone remain in this fallen state? 

• However, according to Augustine not everyone will remain in this fallen state because of God’s grace.

• He argues that while humans have free will, it is so weakened and impaired by sin that they cannot choose good without God’s grace.

What does Augustine argue about having Gods Grace?

• No person can ask for God’s grace or do anything to deserve it.

• Grace is given because God is loving and by the gift of grace, saves them from damnation

What does Augustine call those chosen by God to receive his grace?

• Those chosen by God to receive his grace are ‘the elect’

What are those not chosen called?

• Those not chosen were called ‘the reprobates’

What does Augustine say about when God decided who would receive grace?

• According to Augustine, God (due to his infinite knowledge) - decided which individuals would receive grace before any of them were born and even before the creation of the world.

What do the elects do, and what happens to them?

• The elect could freely choose in the right way to God.

• Because they cannot resist the calling of grace given to them by God.

• Therefore, they cannot resist living in a Godly fashion.

• They are sometimes called saints and are destined to receive salvation.

• Therefore they were ultimately saved because at death they would go to heaven and predestined to respond in the right way to God.

What is to note about the elect and sins though? 

• This does not necessarily mean that the elect never committed any sins.

• However, because they would always pursue the right Godly course of actions - they would have ‘chosen’ to be baptised, go to confession and through Jesus’ atonement they would be forgiven.

• Therefore at death they would be sinless. 

What did Augustine believe about Jesus’ life and death on the cross?

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• Augustine strongly believed that Jesus’ life and death on the cross, and thus atonement was for the elect only.

• ‘It is unthinkable that Jesus should deliberately have shed his blood for hell-dwellers-to-be’

What will happen to the reprobates?

• The reprobates will remain in sin and will be punshed for their sinful nature.

• Therefore, at death would perish into the fires of hell.

• No one knows who or why some are saved, and some are not.

• But, as all deserve to be punished as all are guilty, saving some shows a merciful God.